Gas burner igniting apparatus



Feb. 7, 1939. B. G. HORSTMANN l GAS BURNER IGNITTNG APPARATUS Filedsept'. 27, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 7, 1939. B. G. HoRs'rMANN2,146,479

GAS BURNER IGNITING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 27, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2/M/f/v To@ 5, G. f/oesT/nmwv Patented F eb. 7, 1939 GAS BURNER IGNI'IINGAPPARATUS Bevan Graham Horstmann, Bath, England Application September27, 1937, Serial No. 166,006 In Great Britain June 11, 1937 4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for igniting gas burners or gasburning appliances such as gas cookers. The object of the invention isto provide reliable apparatus which will automatically light the gaswhenever a gas tap is turned According to the invention, the apparatuscomprises a gas tap handle connected to the gas tap by a pin and slot orother lost motion connection which permits a limited preliminarymovement of the handle without effect on the gas tap, an igniting devicearranged to be turned on by the preliminary movement of the handle so asto bring the igniting device into action before the gas tap is turned onand a spring adapted to turn off the igniting device when the handle isreleased after turning on the gas, the lost motion connection betweenthe gas tap and the gas tap handle permitting the spring to impart areturn movement to the handle without turning off the gas.

According to a preferred form of the invention, the gas tap handle has acam like part formed with. an arcuate surface which can be moved from a.position eccentric to the axis of rotation of the gas plug or rotatablemember of a rotary gas tap to a position concentric therewith, thehandle being mounted on a pivot iixed eccentrically to the aforesaidrotatable member or to part xed thereto, and the rocking movement of thehandle on the said pivot being limited by a pin and slot or like devicewhich permits a limited preliminary movement of the handle before thegas is turned on.

During the preliminary movement of the handle, the arcuate surface ofthe cam like member moves from a position eccentric to the axis ofrotation of the gas plug to a position concentric therewith. Theigniting device is operated by an arm or other member to which movementis imparted by the arcuate surface of the cam like member during thepreliminary movement of the handle. During the action of turning on thegas tap, the said arm or other member is unaffected since the arcuatesurface of the cam like member is now concentric with the axis ofrotation of the gas plug. On release of the handle however, theaforesaid arm or other member can be returned to its original positionby the action of a suitable control spring, the arcuate surface of thecam like member being restored to its original eccentric positionwithout turning the gas plug.

A preferred form of the invention will now be (Cl. 20G-53) describedwith reference to drawings in which:-

Figure l is a front elevation of the upper part of a domestic gas cookerfitted with igniting apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the gas tap handlesshown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same gas tap handle;

Figure 4 is a plan thereof;

Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the gas switch shown in Figure1; and

YFigure 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

In the drawings, the reference numeral I is applied to the body of eachof the gas taps controlling the supply of gas to the several burnersprovided beneath the hot plate of the stove. Each of these gas taps isoperated by a handle 2 secured to th-e plug 3 of the gas tap by means ofa sleeve 4 which is pushed over the squared end of the gas plug andsecured thereto by means of a screw 5 (see Figure 2).

The main body of the handle 2 is secured by means of screws 6 to a camplate 'l which is attached to the sleeve 4 by means of two screws 8 and9. The screw 8 constitutes a pivot which is fixed to the sleeve l at apoint spaced from the axis of rotation of the gas plug and the screw 9constitutes a stop which limits the pivotal movement of the handle aboutthe screws, the cam plate 'l being formed with an arcuate slot l0arranged so that the handle 2 and cam plate 1 can turn about the screw 8through an angle of about this movement being limited by the engagementof the screw 9 with the ends of the slot l0.

The cam plate 'l has an arcuate edge H and is so formed that, when thehandle is turned in an anti-clockwise direction (Figure 4) about thescrew 8 to the full extent permitted by the slot l0, the said arcuateedge is brought to a position concentric with the axis of rotation ofthe gas plug. Consequently when the handle is turned in the oppositedirection the arcuate edge Il assumes a position eccentric to the axisof rotation of the gas plug as clearly shown in Figure 4.

Each of the cam plates 'l is adapted to actuate a lever arm l2 iixed toa rocker shaft I3, which extends across the front of the gas cooker asshown in Figure 1 so that it can be actuated by any of the gas taphandles 2, there being a separate lever arm l2 fixed to the rocker shaftin position to be actuated by the cam plate 'l of each of the handles 2.

the accompanying The rocker shaft I3 operates a combined pilot valve andswitch I4 (Figures 1, 5 and 6) which is common to all the burnerscontrolled by the several gas taps I. Two or more pilot jets ignited bya common electric igniting device may conveniently be heated at l5(Figure 1), the nozzles of the pilot jet head being arranged to producelong jets capable of igniting any or all of the burners. Any otherconvenient arrangement of pilot jets and electrical igniting device ordevices may be adopted so that when the igniting device or devices is orare energized and the pilot jets are supplied with gas all the mainburners tol which gas is supplied will be ignited.

The combined pilot valve and switch I4 comprises a casing I6 having agas inlet II and a gas outlet Ila which supplies all the pilot jets forigniting the several burners controlled by the taps l. The flow of gasis controlled by a ball valve i8 operated by a spring-pressed plunger I9which normally holds the valve I8 closed against its seat so as toprevent gas from entering the casing I6. The plunger I9 passes through aswitch casing 26 mounted on the casing I6 and a bridge piece 2| i'lxedto the plunger is arranged so that movement of the plunger in thedirection to open the valve I8 causes the bridge piece 2l to bridge twocontacts 22 Xed in the switch casing 20. The contacts 22 are connectedto the electric igniting device or devices and to a battery or othercurrent supply in -such a way that the igniting device or devices is orare energized with the contacts 22 are bridged by the piece 2I.

The plunger I9 is coupled to the rocker shaft I3 by means of a lever arm23 fixed to the rocker shaft and attached at its free end to the end ofthe plunger in such a way that actuation of the rocker shaft i3 causesthe plunger I9 tol be moved against the action of its control spring soas to open the valve IB and to bridge the contacts 22.

The operation is as follows:-

When any one of the handles 2 is turned for the purpose of turning onone of the gas taps l, a limited preliminary turning movement of thehandle about the pivot screw 8 occurs, which is without effect upon thegas tap. During this preliminary turning movement of the handle, thearcuate edge li of the cam plate "l, moves from the eccentric positionshown in Figure 4 to the concentric position hereinbefore referred to(the turning-on movement being anti-clockwise as seen in Figure 4) andin this movement the edge il of the cam plate engages the lever arm I2and rocks the shaft I3, thereby moving the plunger l@ of the combinedpilot valve and switch so as to open the valve I8 and bridge thecontacts 2|. In this way gas is supplied to the pilot jets and theelectrical igniting device or devices is or are energized so that thepilot jets are ignited.

The preliminary turning movement oil the handle 2 about the pivot screw8 is limited by the slot I0 to an angle of about 45 so that when thepilot jets have been ignited in the manner just described, furtherrotation of the handle causes the gas tap I to be turned so as to turnon the gas to the main burner. Duringthe action of turning on the gastap I the rocker shaft I3 receives no further movement since the arcuateedge II of the cam plate 'I is now concentric with the axis of rotationof the gas plug. On release of the handle, however,

the plunger I9 is returned toits original position by the action of itscontrol spring, the pressure of the lever arm I2 on the arcuate edge IIof the cam plate 'l causing the handle 2 to turn backwards about thepivot screw 8 without turning the gas plug. The pilot jets and ignitingdevice or devices are thus automatically turned off when the handle 2 isreleased after the gas has been ignited at the main burner.

It will be obvious that each of the several handles 2 will-have the sameaction so that the igniting device is operated automatically wheneverany of the gas taps are turned on.

I claim:-

1. Gas burner igniter means including, in combination, a plurality ofrotatable main gas supply valves, a combined pilot valve and igniterswitch device, an actuator common to all of the supply valves andconnected to said combined device, spring means for normally closing thepilot valve and keeping the switch open, and means associated with eachsupply valve for selectively engaging said actuator, said meansincluding a rotatable supply valve actuating member, a handle, a pivotalconnection between said member and said handle, said pivotal connectionbeing eccentric to the axis of rotation of said member, stop meanslimiting the rotation of said handle relative to said member, a camfixed to said handle, said cam having an arcuate edge and beingpositioned so that said arcuate edge is concentric with the aXis ofrotation of the valve actuating member when the handle is turned tothelimit of its movement relative to the valve actuating member in thedirection lor turning on the valve, said cam in moving to bring itsarcuate edge concentric with the axis of rotation of the valve servingto operate said actuator to open the pilot Valve and close the igniterswitch.

2. Gas burner igniter means including, in combination, a plurality ofmain gas supply valves, a combined pilot valve and igniter switch deviceincluding a spring pressed plunger for normally closing the valve andmaintaining the switch open, an actuator common to all of the supplyvalves connected with said plunger and controlled by its spring, andmeans associated with each supply valve for selectively engaging saidactuator, said means including a sleeve fitted to the supply valve, ahandle, a cam plate having a slot and fitted to the handle, a pivot foreccentrically securing the cam plate to the sleeve, a stop membercarried by the sleeve and operating in said slot, said cam plate beingrotatable by the handle to the limit afforded by said slot to push thesaid actuator against the tension of the spring pressed plunger tothereby open the pilot valve and close the igniter switch, said cambeing such that the continued movement of the handle to fully open thesupply valve does not move the actuator, and said handle and cam whenreleased being returned to normal position by the spring tension imposedon the actuator by said plunger.

3. Gas burner igniter means including, in combination, a plurality ofmain gas supply valves, a combined pilot valve and igniter switch deviceincluding a spring pressed plunger for normally closing the valve andmaintaining the switch open, an actuator common to all of the supplyvalves connected with said plunger and controlled by its spring, andmeans associated with each supply valve for selectively engaging saidactuator, said means including a rotatable valve-ac- 75 tuating member,a gas tap handle, a pivotal oonnection between said member and saidhandle 'said pivotal connection being eccentric to the axis of rotationof said member, stop means limiting the rotation of said handlerelatively to said member, a cam xed to said handle said cam having anarcuate edge and being positioned so that said arcuate edge isconcentric with the axis of rotation of the valve actuating member whenthe handle is turned to the limit of its movement relative to theValve-actuating member in the direction for turning on the valve, thesaid spring controlled plunger tending to move said actuator towards theaxis of rotation of said valve actuating member and into engagement withsaid cam-like part.

4. A valve-operated ignitng device according to claim 3, wherein saidrotatable valve-actuating member is Xed to said gas supply valve andsaid gas tap handle is mounted directly on said rotatablevalve-actuating member.

BEVAN GRAHAM HORSTMANN.

